Today My Ohio Adventure hit 5000 followers on Instagram. I wanted to say "thank you" for following along and sharing your adventures.It's been a lot of fun seeing what you all are up to around Ohio. I've learned a lot about the Buckeye State, and been inspired to keep exploring it.
One place you've continued to share is Yellow Springs, so we're heading there at the end of the month! My Ohio Adventure has teamed up with 7THIRTY8 Apparel's Ohio Adventure Club to host a meetup at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs on Saturday, September 26th! Meet us at 10am for a brief talk about the geology of the area, a 4-5 mile hike (trail/distance TBD), followed by food and fun, and a chance to just hang. Further details to come, but we plan to meet around 10:00am, hike from approximately 10:30 - 12:00pm, eat and hang for a couple of hours, then ??? Yellow Springs is full of cool things to do (Young's Dairy, Yellow Springs Brewery, the Tecumseh Land Trust, etc), so want to give you time to explore the area after the group hang, if you choose. We'll be venturing out ourselves, so you can join us in whatever we decide to do, or do your own thing, up to you! So, pack a picnic, grab your friends, and head to Yellow Springs for an Ohio adventure - hope to see you there! Please give us a heads up if you're coming! Leave a comment or visit our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/852524948167827/
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Another week, another roundup of fun things going on around Ohio over the next few days. Got something you think the My Ohio Adventure crowd would enjoy? Send me the details and I will include it in the weekly roundup! There is always lots to do in the Buckeye State. Below is a small sample of the countless ways to spend the upcoming holiday weekend, and a few fun to dos next week. I'm going to compile one of these lists weekly. If you have something planned that you would like shared with the My Ohio Adventure crowd, shoot me an email ([email protected]) or a DM on instagram (@myohioadventure) with details and I would be happy to include it in the weekly roundup! I just need the information by Wednesday evenings.
And now, for Labor Day's to dos..... Thursday, September 3rd: Burton: What: Geauga County Fair Where: Geauga County Fairgrounds When: Thursday, September 3rd - Monday, September 7th Cost: $6 in advance, $8 at the gate, kids under 12 are free More Details: Tractor pulls, apple pies, chicken flying contests, fried foods... http://geaugafair.com/visitor_information.html Friday, September 4th: Columbus: What: Rhythm on the River presents The Steepwater Band and Angela Perley & the Howlin' Moons Where: Bicentennial Park When: 6:30pm - food and beverage sales begin; 7:00pm - music starts Cost: Free More Details: Bring a blanket and enjoy a free concert! Donatos and cold ones available for purchase. http://www.sciotomile.com/event-listing/rhythm-on-the-river-9-4-2015/ Saturday, September 5th: Cleveland: What: Cleveland National Air Show Where: Burke Lakefront Airport When: Starts Saturday at 10:00am, lasts through Monday. Cost: - Advance Adult: $21 ($23 at gate) - Advance Youth: $14 ($16 at gate) Ages 6-11 - Ages 5 and under free for General Admission only More Details: https://www.clevelandairshow.com Covington: What: Fort Rowdy Gathering Where: Covington Community Park When: Saturday - Monday Cost: Free More Details: The Fort Rowdy Gathering is the depiction of a late 1700/early 1800s trading village. You'll find homemade food, arts and crafts, authentic demonstrations, contests, games, entertainment and more. http://www.fortrowdy.org/index.html Harveysburg: What: The Ohio Renaissance Festival Where: Harveysburg When: Saturdays and Sundays and Labor Day Monday September 5th - October 25th, 10:30am - 6:00pm Cost: $18.95 adults, $8.95 kids (5-12), BOGO specials Labor Day weekend, price slightly higher at the gate and fees apply More Details: A 30-acre re-creation of a 16th century English Village. Food, drink, crafts, costumed characters, shows and more. http://www.renfestival.com/ Milan: What: Milan Melon Festival Where: Milan Village Square When: Saturday - Monday Cost: Free! More Details: A car show, a pizza eating contest, a 5-K race, a cornhole tournament, live music, WATERMELON SHERBERT, and so much more. http://milanmelonfestival.org/ Toledo (Grand Rapids): What: Volunteer Canal Boat Brunch Cruise Where: Providence Metropark When: 11:00am - 12:30pm Cost: $12 ($10 for members, Seniors 60+), $8 for children 3-12, kids 2 and under free More Details: A canal boat ride along the banks of the Miami and Erie Canal. A Metroparks Naturalist will guide the tour, explaining the changes taking place as the seasons change. A light brunch will be served. https://reservations.metroparkstoledo.com/programs/index.shtml?id=39100&sid=173474.307&uid= Tuesday, September 8th Columbus: What: Letters for Literacy Scrabble Tournament Fundraiser Where: Seventh Son Brewing When: 6:00pm - 10:00pm Cost: $25 entry per person More Details: Teams of 2 will compete through 5 rounds (with beer breaks!) for a grand prize of $200 and a trophy! Extra prizes will also be given to 2nd & 3rd place. If you don't want to compete, come hang out and cheer on your friends! Seventh Son will be slinging beers and Sophie's Gourmet Pierogis food truck will be on hand serving up delicious grubhttps://www.facebook.com/events/921959917866045/ Coming down the pipeline: Friday, September 11th Columbus: What: Dinner With Friends Where: Eagle Pavilion at Fryer Park in Grove City When: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Cost: Free to attend, but bring money for food :) More Details: Join @lunchwithgrandma for Dinner With Friends - grab a friend or loved one, and come enjoy good food from @dogpeoplecbus (who serve up bomb hot dogs and frites) and @rimetimepops (serving deliciously fancy popsicles), music, and fun things to do for the kids! See @lunchwithgrandma's instagram account for more details. Saturday, September 26th: Yellow Springs: What: My Ohio Adventure, 7thirty8 Apparel and Ohio Adventure Club meet up Where: John Bryan State Park When: 10:00am - 2:00pm Cost: Free! More Details: Meet us at 10am for a 4-5 mile hike (trail/distance TBD), followed by food and fun, and a chance to just hang. Further details to come, but we plan to meet around 10:00am, hike from approximately 10:30 - 12:00pm, eat and hang for a couple of hours, then ??? Yellow Springs is full of cool things to do (Young's Dairy, Yellow Springs Brewery, the Tecumseh Land Trust, etc), so want to give you time to explore the area after the group hang, if you choose. We'll be venturing out ourselves, so you can join us in whatever we decide to do, or do your own thing, up to you! So, pack a picnic, grab your friends, and head to Yellow Springs for an Ohio adventure - hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/events/852524948167827/ My Ohio Adventure has teamed up with 7THIRTY8 Apparel's Ohio Adventure Club to host a meetup at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs on Saturday, September 26th! Meet us at 10am for a 4-5 mile hike (trail/distance TBD), followed by food and fun, and a chance to just hang. Further details to come, but we plan to meet around 10:00am, hike from approximately 10:30 - 12:00pm, eat and hang for a couple of hours, then ??? Yellow Springs is full of cool things to do (Young's Dairy, Yellow Springs Brewery, the Tecumseh Land Trust, etc), so want to give you time to explore the area after the group hang, if you choose. We'll be venturing out ourselves, so you can join us in whatever we decide to do, or do your own thing, up to you! So, pack a picnic, grab your friends, and head to Yellow Springs for an Ohio adventure - hope to see you there!
Check out the event on Facebook, and stay tuned for more details! https://www.facebook.com/events/852524948167827/ I'm big on spending time with family, I think there is nothing more important, so when I discovered @lunchwithgrandma on Instagram I was smitten. Account founder Joe always spent a lot of time with his Grandma. After she got sick and nearly died last year, quality time together became even more of a priority so they nailed down every Wednesday to hang. After sitting around the house got boring, they decided to get out and try new places. Joe's Instagram followers really enjoyed the pics he shared of their outings, so he created an account dedicated to their weekly lunches. With that, @lunchwithgrandma was born. I love that their relationship involves exploring new places to eat. That's my kind of adventuring! And now, meet Grandma (as told by Joe)....
Where from? Grandma is originally from Circleville, Oh and transplanted to Columbus approximately 45 years ago. Favorite Ohio adventure: Circleville Pumpkin Show. Its always fun to go back home and see family and friends and eat at Lindsey's Bakery What do you love most about Ohio? Grandma loves the football Buckeyes. She takes pride in their victories (and even though she won't say it here she always feels sad for the people on the other team when they lose). My grandfather and her used to go the bowl games every year. Her other favorite thing is snow at Christmas time. Favorite Ohio company: Grandma loves Homage. She loves it for the product such as her Believeland shirt but she also really likes the way they give to good causes. Such as every year when they donate the proceeds from the MLK shirt and when they donate proceeds to the OU fire. Favorite Ohio city: Circleville born and raised. Circleville has a special place in Grandma's heart. My Ohio adventure to do list: Currently at the top of Grandma's list is the breakfast tour with Dr. Breakfast and the Columbus Food Adventures team. Favorite place to visit outside of Ohio: Wisconsin where one of her sisters lives or anywhere the Buckeyes are playing a bowl game. Be sure to check out @lunchwithgrandma on Instagram, and attend the Dinner With Friends event they're hosting at Fryer Park in Grove City on the evening of September 11th! Food trucks, music, games and more! I started the Adventurer Profiles back in July as a way to get to know the people exploring Ohio - the people behind the pictures. I started with myself. Because it's been a few months and 7000 more of you all have followed along since, I thought I'd reintroduce myself, the person behind @myohioadventure.
I started the account because I wanted a place that I could not only share adventures around Ohio, in hopes that it would inspire others to get out and explore, but also share what others' are up to as well. And so, @myohioadventure and the #myohioadventure hashtag was born. I didn't, and still don't, want it to simply be a feed of perfectly posed shots (check out @socality if that's what you're into), but rather a mixture of everything from professionally captured moments to the beautiful quick shots we capture on our iPhones. Where from: Born and raised in Worthington (a Columbus suburb). Did a brief stint in Athens to attend OU, finished my degree back in Columbus at Ohio State, spent 3 years in Brooklyn, a year in Memphis, and am now back and settled in Cbus. Currently live in Victorian Village and absolutely love it. Favorite Ohio Adventure: The Columbus Metro Parks. There are 16, each unique in size and what you can do there, and all are fun and beautiful. Battelle Darby Creek has bison, my favorite animal, so obviously it's my favorite of their parks. What do you love most about Ohio? The Ohio pride. Not everyone, but I feel like so many people from Ohio have such love and respect for their home state. Even people I know that have moved away (and will probably never move back) have deep love for Ohio and pride about being from here. It's contagious, and a big reason why I moved home. Favorite Ohio Company: Probably Homage. They started with Ohio tshirts, but even as they’ve grown much larger, they stay loyal to Ohio and Columbus. Every year they still set up a booth at Columbus’ Comfest and I love that this event, even if small compared to their size, isn’t beneath them. Favorite Ohio Food: Ice cream from any rural Ohio ice cream establishment. No one does ice cream quite like rural Ohio, amiright? Favorite Ohio Drink: Love Columbus Brewing Company Pale Ale. #drinklocal Favorite Ohio City: Quaker City. It’s where my grandparent’s farm is located. Population hovers around 500, neighbors houses can’t be seen because they’re so far away, and only recently did they finally pave (some of) the roads. I grew up playing in the woods there, and while I went through a decade-long phase where I didn’t care for the outdoors, I know can’t imagine my life without the farm. My Ohio Adventure to-do list: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Yellow Springs, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Rockmill Brewery, Mansfield Reformatory Favorite place to adventure outside of Ohio: Arizona. My dad lives in San Tan Valley, AZ, outside of Phoenix. When I visit we hike, take his ATV out for rides, day trip to the Grand Canyon or California, eat our way around the area, and just sit and enjoy the views of the mountains from his backyard. It’s hot as hell, but perfect. I recently developed a stress fracture in my foot. I'm a runner, and just a couple of months ago completed my 7th half marathon, so I'm not really surprised. Between training, working on my feet all day (in not so great shoes), hiking, evening strolls, and walking to get drinks on the weekends, my foot was eventually going to revolt. My doctor gave me the orders to "shut it down." For 6-8 weeks. Minimum. So my summer adventuring is looking a little different these days. If I want to enjoy my local park or neighborhood bar, I have to drive there. Instead of training for the Columbus Marathon again, I'll be reading up on how not to develop another stress fracture. My 52 Hike Challenge? Definitely on hold. I will be rocking a giant boot that makes me look like a Stormtrooper, so it's not all bad?
Lessons learned: take it easy sometimes, and wear proper shoes. It certainly could be worse, and I'm not completely immobile. I can still hobble around in my boot for shorter lengths of time. Thinking things like museums, farmers' markets, and sporting events (as a spectator) will be my go-tos for the remainder of the summer. I must keep busy to distract myself from the fact that I can't run, which may make me crazy, but I can't overdo it if I want to heal properly and get back on the trails. What are some of your favorite Ohio adventures that don't involve too much physical activity? Would love any suggestions you all might have, so please send them my way! "Don't unplug the fridge!!!" We recently headed south for a weekend of camping and hiking at Shawnee State Park. The park, located near Portsmouth, is nearly 1,100 acres and falls within the 63,000 acre Shawnee State Forest. There is so much to do here, although we just came to hike and drink beers by the campfire. Alcohol is not permitted outside of your tent or RV so shhhh and pretend you didn't just read that! But seriously, in addition to hiking you'll find swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, mini golf, basketball, a Little Free Library and more. There are several trails throughout the park, including a 60-mile backpack trail. We went for the Shawnee Forest Day Hike Trail. We read that it was 7.2 miles, a moderate hike, and gorgeous. When we approached the trail head a sign read that it's actually just 4.2 miles - they must have cut out a portion. Slightly disappointing but it was nearly 80 degrees that day, so we were okay with it. The trail is legit. When it's flat, it's flat, but when it's steep, it. is. steep. Grateful for my Keen hiking boots for stabilizing my ankles on the somewhat rocky terrain. I'm no nature expert, but it's safe to say there are a ton of different species of plants and animals out there. What was true about what we read is that the trail is gorgeous. The pics below are your proof. We only saw one other person out there, along with his dog. Don't get me wrong, I love y'all, but it was nice having the place (mostly) to ourselves. I also took an early morning solo hike on the Knighton Nature Trail, which ran behind our campsite. Equally as lovely, quiet, and empty. The campgrounds were quite nice. They have bathrooms and bathhouses. I don't mind a day or two sans shower, but I also don't hate having access to running water, so this was welcomed. The sites themselves are fairly close together, but very wooded so you still have your privacy. They each have a fire pit and picnic table, as well as electrical outlets. We brought a mini grill to make dinner and I thought that was fancy. The guys next to us brought a mini FRIDGE and hooked that bad boy up. Now THAT is fancy (and/or a bit much?). They also brought a power saw and were using it to cut firewood. I'm 97% sure this is against park rules.... Overall a lovely weekend, and a place I would definitely return to - although there are about 8 million places on the agenda first!
Worth noting: - The camp store sells firewood, ice, charcoal, bug spray, and other things you might have forgotten or run out of. You can also rent cornhole here :) - The town of Friendship, where the park is located, is dry. If you run out of beer you'll have to head to Portsmouth. It isn't too far, maybe 20 minutes. While there, check out the Floodwall Murals. - The town does have a bar, The Dairy Bar. They serve ice cream and other delicious treats. Rural Ohio really does ice cream best, amiright? - Can't speak for all cell providers, but us Verizon users didn't get service in the park. A blessing and a curse, if I'm honest. Adventure on, my friends! "Learned how maple syrup was made in the 1800s. What did you do last weekend?" Back in February, I unleashed my inner nerd and took her to Slate Run Historical Farm in Canal Winchester. At Slate Run, you can experience what life would have been like at an 1880s farm here in Ohio. There are gardens, barns full of animals, and an old farmhouse maintained by costumed staff and volunteers. And if you like giant hogs, you're in luck, there are plenty of those too. Like all of the Columbus Metro Parks, Slate Run offers different programming. We went to learn how maple syrup is made - and, if I'm honest, to sample that tasty treat. It was quite interesting. We were able to view the different equipment used, hike into the woods to see how the trees were tapped to extract the sap, and sample maple sugar and syrup in the farmhouse. While the demonstration was fun, probably more enjoyable was wandering around the farm after. That place is FULL of animals. Turkeys, hogs, sheep, sleeping horses. You can play with old farm equipment, watch the staff make brooms 1880s style, and just enjoy seeing what life was like during a simpler time. While at the farm, we also took a hike through Slate Run Park. They share a parking lot, so no excuse not to. There are over 12 miles of trails, from easy to difficult, paved to dirt. We took the Sugar Maple Trail and then connected to the Covered Bridge Trail. What was fun about our hike was that the trail was still snow covered, making it both beautiful and empty. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing the experience of a hike with strangers, but every now and then it's fun to have the place all to yourself. And we did. The trail had some steep inclines. On a normal day your basic sneaks would do, but with the compact and slippery snow, our hiking boots were a must. We hiked a total of about 5 miles, and all were gorgeous and will bring me back again. Now that the snow has long since melted and the trees have regained their leaves, I'm sure it would be an equally beautiful but different experience. I'm particularly interested in checking out the Kokomo Trail. Not just because Kokomo is one of my fav Beach Boys songs, but because I hear it's great for checking out all the wildlife at the park. You can learn more about the Farm and Park here: http://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/. Adventure on, my friends! Welcome to the My Ohio Adventure blog! I've been out and about a lot this year, and wanted to start journaling those adventures, so I could remember it all. Figured if I'm going to take the time to document my exploits, might as well share it with others! Expect pics, reviews, random ramblings about my adventures, and updates on fun things going on around Ohio. You can also give me a follow on Instagram. Over there I share pics of what I'm up to around the Buckeye State, as well as shots shared via the #myohioadventure tag. Y'all are up to some cool stuff - check it out!
I hope you enjoy my reviews, and are inspired to get out and see all the different things Ohio has to offer. It's a pretty great state! -Christa |
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